Marking device



NOV. 2, 1943. suss N ET AL I 2,333,451

MARKING DEVICE Filed Dec. 23, 1941 INVENTORS PHIL/P 50.95444 gIDNEYD-BAPL 0w ie ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 2, 1943 2,333,451 MARKING DEVICE Philip Sussman and Sidney D. Barlow, Bronx, N. Y.

Application December 23, 1941, Serial No. 424,118

3 Claims.

This invention relates to marking devices constructed and arranged to discharge small quantitles of its contents to a limited distributing point. Since the device is particularly intended for the marking of fabrics we have chosen that particular application for illustration herein, although it will be evident that it is equally available for use in dispensing other fluids. This invention is an improvement upon our prior Patents No. 2,106,046 and 2,211,312.

It is the object of this invention to provide a marker of the character described which will be inexpensive to manufacture, thoroughly reliable in operation, and which will be ready for use at all times.

The invention accordingly comprises the machine, embodying features, characteristics and properties and the relationship of the elements which will be exemplified in the machine herein described and the scope of the application of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a device embodying this invention. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the same. Figure 3 is a section through an alternative valve construction, and Figure 3a is a section through a third form of valve.

In the drawingthe numeral l comprises a member which for convenience is herein referred to as tubular, or as a tube. although this term is used broadly and descriptively only, and the particular shape forms no part of this invention. At one end of this tubular member there will be provided a dispensing tip suitable for the use to which this. device is to be put. As herein illustrated the tubular member is provided with a nipple ll upon its outer end, and screwed upon this nipple is a cap member l2 having a conical end l3 suitable for feeding and applying the marking or other fluid. This conicalend has an inner seat l4 for a ball [5 comprising with the seat a valve for the control of the pigment. Car- The shape of the conical end-oi the cap member is such that a portion of the surface of the ball extends downwardly beyond the conical end so that during the marking operation, pressure may be exerted upon the ball to push it away from its seat and permit the exit of the marking fluid, or pigment, or other contents of the tube.

The upper end of the tubular member I 0 is closed by some suitable means for exerting pressure upon the interior of the tubular member, while at the same time means are preferably pron vided for mechanically separating the pigment or fluid contained within the tube from the air which is introduced to create the pressure.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper end of the tubular member is closed by a rubber bulb member firmly attached to the .upper end of the tube and arranged to force a'r into the container. This bulb has a cylindrical portion 26 fitting tightly within the tubular member terminating in a flange 26a and an outwardly extending portion 21 comprising a compressible bulb,

ried within the nipple is a pin l6 having a head I! to bear against the ball and a body extending upwardly within the nipple II. A spring I!) bears at one end against the head I! and at the and provided with an opening 28. The bulb portion 21 is divided from the interior of th container by an inwardly extending flange 29 having a central opening 30. To closethis opening 30, in this embodiment of the invention, there is provided some form of valve means which will permit the building up of a slight pressure within the tubular member l0, and preferably which will zetain that pressure for a substantial period of ime.

Ordinary valve constructions have not been wholly satisfactory to hold the pressur within the container in devices of this kind, because the air pressure-itself is not sufficient to hold the ordinary valve tight enough against its seat. On this account special valve mechanisms have been devised which are herein illustrated. Thus, in Figure 2 there is tightly fitted within the cylindrical portion 26 of the bulb a fibre washer 3|, having a central opening 32. A button 34 has a flange portion 33 adapted to fit against the underface of the washer 3| and a stem 36 adapted to extend upwardly through the openings 32 and 30, and having a head 31 upon its upper end. As herein illustrated there is provided a spring 38 surrounding the stem 36, bearing at one end against the upper face of the washer 3| and at the other end upon the underface of the head 31 to hold the flange portion 33 tight against the underface of the washer. The stem 36 is smaller than the openings through which it projects to afford a passageway between them, opening into the interior of the container whenever the air pressure is sufflcient to pass between the flange portion 33 and the washer. The limitations of pressure, however, are such that the contact between the flange portion 33 and the washer will, in some instances, be found inadequate to maintain the valve air tight. This difficulty can be overcome by oiling the surface of the flange and washer where they come in contact. The flange is preferably made of a soft rubber and, under such circumstances, it is desirable to employ an oil which will not have any deleteriousefl'ect upon either the washer or the flange. For this purpose castor oil or glycerine have proven satisfactory. It will be noted that since this under surface of the washer is on the interior of the container that it is not exposed to evaporation or drying out or to the accumulation of dirt.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figure 3 there is provided between the flange portion 33 of the button 34 and the washer 3|, a cushion 35 of soft pliable rubber. This cushion takes somewhat the form of the end of the finger of a soft rubber glove having the center of the end of the finger cut out to fit over the stem 36.

, When such a cushion is fitted over the flange 33 it forms a peripheral bead 35a around the circumference of the flange 33, extending upwardly therefrom and forming an elastic contact between the flange 33 and the washer 3| This bead is filled with air below it and assumes this shape because of the resiliency of the rubber and it furnishes a resilient contact, completely around the washer,which helps to maintain a perfect seal between them.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figure 3a there extends downwardly through the flange 29 a nipple I30 threaded at its lower end, as shown at I3I, and having a flange I32 at its upper end to fit upon the upper face of the flange 29. Below the flange 29 and fitting on to the screw threads I3I there is a cap nut I34 fitting against a washer I35 to clamp the flange 29 firmly between them. This nipple I 30 is provided with two concentric bores of different diameters to afford a downwardly facing valve seat I36 in position to be engaged by' a ball valve I31 which is held within the larger bore and pressed upwardly by a spring I38. Between the ball valve I31 and the valve seat I36 there is provided a rubber washer I40 of a size and flexibility of material used in a childfs toy balloon, affording a resilient contact between the ball and the valve seat throughout its periphery. In this embodiment it will be noted that the rubber washer itself is not perforated and that when air is forced downwardly through the valve it slips between the rubber washer and the valve seat.

It will be noted that this use of the washer I 40, together with its consistency, is radically different from the construction of the valve or valve seat of rubber, or the employment of any ordinary soft rubber washer in order to make a tight joint. The washer I40 is itself flat, not curved to the shape of the ball, and it is of such soft and delicate material that it yields to the pressure of the ball, but the form of contact between the ball and valve seat is not subject to wear such as would be the case of either ball or ball seat when it is made of rubber.

Regardless of which of these forms of valves is used the operation of the device shown will be obvious. When the finger or the palm of the hand is pressed against the outer face of the bulb 21 it serves to close the opening 23 and thereafter, upon depression of the bulb, the air is compressed within the bulb and forced through the valve into the interior of the container Ill.

In order to effectively separate the air pumped into the tubular member and the fluid material contained therein so as to prevent drying out of the latter we provide a flexible closed tubular member 42 such as we described in our prior Patent 2,211,312, this member being of such shape that as the fluid material is dispensed it may extend downwardly into the tubular member to occupy the space of the material dispensed without permitting any contact between the air forced into the flexible member and the fluid material within the tubular member. In the form here shown this flexible member may have its upper end confined between the upper end of the tubular member I0 and the flange 26 of the member 25. Other forms of connection may, of course, be used, such as that disclosed in our prior Patent 2,211,312, it being only important that the air forced'in to create a pressure is forced into the interior of the flexible member rather than into the interior of the tubular member itself, and

that the joint be tight enough to retainthe air pressure for a reasonable length of time.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departin from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A device comprising a container adapted to carry a fluid for application to a surface and having a marking tip at one end, a hand air compressing mechanism attached to and carried by the other end of said container and communieating to the interior thereof through an opening, and an inwardly opening valve controlling said opening comprising a member having a valve seat facing the interior of said container, a ball, resilient means for urging said ball towards said seat, and an imperforate disc of minutely thinv rubber of substantially the size of the larger diameter of said seat interposed between said ball and said seat.

2. A marking device comprising a tube and tip on one end of said tube, a rubber plug in the other end of said tube having a cylindrical flange fitting tightly within said tube, and a bulb having an'opening into said tube, and an inwardly opening valve for controlling the passage of air into said container from said bulb.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2, having an outer opening in the outer face of said bulb so situated that as the hand is pressed'against said bulb to compress the same it will close said opening against the egress of air.

PHILIP SUSSMAN. SIDNEY D. BARLOW. 

